Video Transitions The Essentials and When to Use Them

Just like it sounds, these transitions appear to wipe one shot away with the next one. Often done as straight or angled wipes, other variations include shapes, like iris wipes (circles), star wipes, or heart wipes. Other variations include clock wipes, which appear to sweep around the face of a clock, or matrix wipes, which look like an array of growing shapes like stars or diamonds. Famously used in the Star Wars films and others, they can be very effective transitions between scenes, but you don’t see them often because they can start to tire an audience if used too much. And, if not used tactfully, or if not properly used for an intentional cheesy or comedic effect, they can make your production look amateurish. One very effective use of wipes, though, can be to connect two different shots in a quick pan to make them look like one continuous shot.

Somewhat similar to very quick cross-fades, these use a bright (sometimes colored) flash to move between shots. Use flash wipes to emphasize quick points, but too much flashing will exhaust viewers very quickly.

One shot appears to “roll up” or “peel off” and reveal the next shot.

The next shot appears to cover the first shot like a Venetian or vertical blind, with “slats” turning or rolling in.

The next shot flies in to cover the first one, or the first shot flies out to reveal the next.

There’s nothing more amateur than using different transitions for every scene. Before you get carried away remember that the content of your video is the most important thing, you’re trying to give your message the highest impact possible, and that means not distracting the viewer with extravagant effects.

Keeping it simple is the best approach with transitions. 

Transitions are best used when we need to show the passing of time, change of mood, change of subject or change of direction.

Unless you’re going for a specific effect, it’s best to use transitions sparingly. Try to make everything seem smooth and natural, not forced; that way the viewer will be at ease and concentrating on the message you are trying to get across rather than who edited the video!

Keep in mind, most of the time, directors use basic cuts between scenes. Transitions are usually only used when they serve a storytelling purpose. 

While you can have some fun with transitions, it’s best to bear in mind what different transitions symbolize and use them only where appropriate.

For example, as fade to black is a dramatic transition that signifies completion, it would be odd to use it between two scenes that take place in the same time and space. Where a fade to black symbolizes completion, a fade to white does the exact opposite. A fade to white tells the audience that the hero’s journey isn’t quite over. This is why you will often see a fade to white at the end of a dramatic film with an ambiguous ending.

You won’t get it right the first time. Take time to practice your transitions, you’ll be surprised how quickly your editing skills will improve and VEGAS Pro offers a huge array of fully customizable transitions for you to take advantage of. 

If it looks natural, you’ve probably got it right; if it’s clumsy or jumpy have another play with it.